NEWS

Szombathely: Building a green mobility corridor for a car-dominated city centre

The initiative builds on Szombathely2030, the city’s 10-year economic and urban development strategy, and is implemented through the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), which translates long-term objectives into concrete actions for sustainable transport and public space transformation.

Although Szombathely is compact and generally walkable, its city centre is dominated by car traffic. With around 190 000 daily trips, half of them by car, the city faces growing pressure on safety, air quality, and public space quality.

Szombathely joined WeGenerate as a Fellow City aiming to:

• Transform a central road into a multimodal green urban corridor
• Reduce car traffic and improve traffic safety, especially for school mobility
• Promote walking, cycling, and public transport
• Create a replicable model for future green corridors across the city

In line with the priorities set out in Szombathely2030 and the SUMP, the city has developed a comprehensive concept combining mobility hubs, shared micro-mobility, green infrastructure, and smart systems. Szombathely has actively sought funding through EU programmes and achieved high evaluation scores, demonstrating the strength and maturity of the concept.

Future plans include the creation of mobility hubs integrating e-bikes, e-scooters, e-shuttles, and solar-powered charging, supported by real-time monitoring of traffic and air quality. Digital participation tools, community workshops, and public events will be used to engage citizens and co-create the transformation. Despite funding challenges, the city remains committed to implementing and scaling the green corridor vision.